AT&T (T, Fortune 500) issued a cryptic statement that seemed to indicate that a marketing campaign or routine change might be behind the online sales blackout to people with New York City ZIP codes.

"We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels. The iPhone is available in our New York retail stores and those of our partners," said an AT&T statement issued to CNN.

But by Monday afternoon, the issue appeared to have resolved itself. The tech blog Gizmodo reported that AT&T's Web site again was selling iPhones to New Yorkers. CNN also was able to access iPhone sales pages through AT&T's Web site about 3:45 p.m. ET Monday.

She quoted the AT&T sales representative as saying "the phone is not offered to you because New York is not ready for the iPhone. You don't have enough towers to handle the phone."

Other bloggers found the logic behind that assertion to be questionable, and an exact cause for the stopped sales remained unclear Monday.

Some blamed an alleged problem with fraud.

Writing for the MediaMemo blog, Peter Kafka says an AT&T service representative told him that new iPhones for New York City had to be purchased through a retail store, not through the company's Web site or over the phone.

"AT&T service reps have been telling New Yorkers like myself that it won't sell us the phone online because of fraud problems," Kafka wrote.

He did not elaborate on the nature of the fraud.

PC World's Tony Bradley suggested that the incident is another public relations misstep for AT&T, regardless of its actual cause.

"Cutting off sales of the iPhone in N.Y. alienates a huge pool of consumers and tacitly admits that the critics are right -- the AT&T network can't handle the iPhone," he wrote. "At least, not in New York."

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